Did the Royals give up? No. Did they muscle-up and power their way to victory? No, that was unlikely. According to ESPN.com they had the least home runs in all of baseball. What they could do was run. The Royals had the most stolen bases in MLB.

So run they did.

Fox Sports reported that, “After falling behind by four runs, the Royals raced back with their speed on the bases … Kansas City swiped seven bags in this one to tie a postseason record previously shared by the 1907 Chicago Cubs and 1975 Cincinnati Reds…”

How did they do it? How did the Royals win with a 3% chance? They wisely dealt with their disappointments; and you and I can too.

Deal With Disappointments

1. Do what you can.

The Royals could and did steal bases.

2. Let go of the regrets of what you can’t.

The Royals didn’t flail recklessly hoping to hit home runs.

3. Maximize your strengths.

The Royals substituted slow base runners for fast runners.

4. Minimize the impact of your weaknesses.

The Royals used the best pitchers available to nullify the A’s offense.

5. Look for help.

They encouraged and cheered one another on, despite the almost 97% certainty of defeat.

6. Pray.

I don’t know for sure, but if I was Jeremy Guthrie and other Christian players on the Royals I’d be asking!